Sue Barker launches new book at BookFest

In an unmissable event, former professional tennis player Sue Barker looked back on a lifetime at Wimbledon.

From first playing at a National Schools event at the age of 13 in 1969 to covering Wimbledon for over thirty years, no one has had a better insight into Wimbledon than Sue Barker.

In this exclusive launch event, Barker dipped into her fabulous book for stories from having a private dinner with the late Queen to interviewing Andy Murray after his historic win at Wimbledon in 2013.

‘The thing about our Sue is that she just is Wimbledon.’ John McEnroe

Barker captivated the packed audience with intimate tales of playing and presenting at one of the biggest tennis competitions in the world.

From recalling her intimate insight into the famous rivalry between John McEnroe and Björn Borg, to describing the incomparable friendships between players- “we played together, we cried together”- this was Wimbledon as its most personal.

A particular highlight for many were Sue Barker’s candid answers to audience questions, from the greatest of all time (Federer) to her opinion on proposed expansion of Wimbledon (a necessary move). Rather than shying away from difficult questions, Sue addressed both the highlights of her career, such as winning the French Open, and the difficulties she faced.

Addressing the controversy around her leaving the BBC, Sue talked about ‘jumping before she was pushed’ after her ‘hurtful sacking’ from Question of Sport.

One audience member asked if the BBC grovelled and asked for her to return to Wimbledon, would she?

Quite simply? Yes.

‘I loved it. I loved the job, I loved the people. I had an absolute blast… it was just magical.’

The event was the start of a packed June for BookFest. At the end of the month, we will be welcoming Nobel-prize winning scientist Venki Ramakrishnan, former PM Theresa May and the incomparable Reverend Richard Coles at King’s Arts. Check out the full programme here.